The Poles, placed in Group C, will face powerhouse opponents Germany, Sweden and Denmark in their first-ever appearance at a major continental tournament.
The 16-team competition runs through July 27 and features four groups.
Group A includes Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Finland; Group B consists of Spain, Portugal, Belgium and Italy; Group C features Germany, Sweden, Denmark and Poland; and Group D includes France, England, Wales and the Netherlands.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinals.
Matches will be played at eight venues across Switzerland: Basel, Bern, Geneva, Zurich, St. Gallen, Lucerne, Sion and Thun.
Both Poland and Wales are making their tournament debuts.
While expectations are modest, with each point considered a success, tournament favourites include reigning world champions Spain, defending European champions England, and Germany, who have won the competition a record eight times.
Poland’s national team has shown significant progress in recent months, eliminating Romania and Austria in the Euro 2025 playoffs and earning promotion back to League A of the UEFA Nations League. The team has won 10 of its last 11 matches.
"I'm happy we've made it here. This tournament will stay with me for a long time, and I hope the memories will be positive," said head coach Nina Patalon.
Poland head coach Nina Patalon. Photo: PAP/Adam Warżawa
Last Friday, Poland defeated Ukraine 4-0 in a friendly in Mielec, with goals from Klaudia Jedlińska, Paulina Tomasiak, Kayla Adamek and Milena Kokosz.
"We’re not afraid of any team — whether it’s Germany, Denmark or Sweden," defender Emilia Szymczak said. "We’re professionally prepared for every match. It’s our opponents who should be afraid of us."
Most of Poland’s squad plays in foreign leagues. The team is captained by star forward Ewa Pajor, 28, who joined Barcelona last year after nine seasons with VfL Wolfsburg.
Pajor in May capped her first season with Barcelona Femení by winning the Liga F Golden Boot, finishing as the league’s top scorer with 25 goals.
Ewa Pajor. Photo: PAP/Marcin Gadomski
West Ham United’s Kinga Szemik is Poland’s starting goalkeeper. The defence is led by Paulina Dudek of Paris Saint-Germain, while midfielders Ewelina Kamczyk of Fleury 91 and Tanja Pawollek of Eintracht Frankfurt anchor the middle of the pitch.
“Going to Switzerland is a dream come true. We’re working hard to be in top form,” said Pajor, who was part of the Polish squad that won the U-17 European Championship in Switzerland in 2013.
The Polish team is based in Unterägeri, on Lake Ägeri, and will train at the nearby Herti Allmend Stadium in Zug, which holds just under 5,000 spectators.
The tournament opens on Wednesday with Iceland facing Finland, followed by hosts Switzerland taking on Norway in the official curtain-raiser.
Two matches are scheduled each day during the group stage.
Poland plays its opening match on Friday in St. Gallen’s Kybunpark Stadium against Group C favorites Germany.
Poland’s next two group matches will take place at Lucerne’s scenic Swissporarena. On July 8, they face Sweden, who won the inaugural Women's Euro in 1984 and have reached the final four on eight occasions.
The Swedes finished third at the 2023 World Cup.
Poland wraps up the group stage on July 12 against Denmark, runners-up at Euro 2017.
Poland are ranked 27th worldwide by football's governing body FIFA, while Germany are third, Sweden sixth, and Denmark 12th.
Should Poland advance, they will face an opponent from Group D — France, England, the Netherlands, or Wales — in the quarterfinals, scheduled for July 16–19. The semifinals will be played on July 22 and 23, with the final set for July 27 in Basel.
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Source: IAR, PAP